UNTITLED

Maximum Temperature Weather Ranking vs Last 100 Years Across Europe (June 23, 2026)

Rank 1 = hottest year on record for that date; Rank 100 = coldest year

The BBC has decided not to broadcast an episode of David Attenborough’s flagship new series on British wildlife because of fears its themes of the destruction of nature would risk a backlash from Tory politicians and the rightwing press, the Guardian has been told.

The decision has angered the programme-makers and some insiders at the BBC, who fear the corporation has bowed to pressure from lobbying groups with “dinosaurian ways”.

The revelation about Attenborough’s programme comes at the end of a week in which another broadcaster, Gary Lineker, has been condemned by Conservative ministers for his criticism of the government’s immigration bill.

The fresh row focuses on Wild Isles, a highly anticipated new series looking at the beauty of nature in the British Isles, which will begin broadcast on Sunday.

Narrated by David Attenborough, it is expected to be a hit, with five episodes scheduled to go out in primetime slots on BBC One.

A sixth episode has also been filmed, which is understood to be a stark look at the losses of nature in the UK and what has caused the declines. It is also understood to include some examples of rewilding, a concept which has been controversial in some rightwing circles.

The documentary, which was part-funded by nature charities the WWF and RSPB, will not be broadcast along with the others and will instead only be available on the BBC’s iPlayer service. All six episodes were narrated by Attenborough, and made by production company Silverback Films, responsible for previous series including Our Planet, in collaboration with the BBC Natural History Unit.

Senior sources at the BBC told the Guardian that the decision was made to fend off potential critique from the political right. This week the Telegraph newspaper attacked the BBC for creating the series and for taking funding from “two charities previously criticised for their political lobbying” – the WWF and RSPB.

One source at the broadcaster, who asked not want to be named, said “lobbying groups that are desperately hanging on to their dinosaurian ways” such as the farming and game industry would “kick off” if the show had too political a message.

They added: “Frankly, this idea that you sort of put it in a separate programme to almost parcel it to one side is disingenuous. Why don’t they integrate those stories into all of them at the time?”

Laura Howard, who produced the programme and used to work at the BBC’s Natural History Unit, said she does not believe its messages to be political.

She told the Guardian: “I think the facts speak for themselves. You know, we’ve worked really closely with the RSPB in particular who are able to fact-check all of our scripts and provide us with detailed scientific data and information about the loss of wildlife in this country. And it is undeniable, we are incredibly nature depleted. And I don’t think that that is political, I think it’s just facts.”

The producer said the film will touch on how farming practices have harmed wildlife, but will also profile farmers who have done the right thing.

“Those farmers are there to make the point that every farm in the country ought to be able to do a little bit at least of what they do, and that it is possible to farm alongside nature, to make a profit, to produce healthy food and to still run a business,” Howard said.

She added that she hoped a young audience would be able to find the film, as they are used to streaming on iPlayer rather than watching a broadcast.

Anatomy of a Modern Toss cartoon.

Neave Brown public lecture 1992

Daily Telegraph Installs Workplace Monitors On Journalists’ Desks

Journalists were baffled by the unannounced appearance of the boxes. Staff resorted to googling the brand name and discovered they were wireless motion detectors produced by a company called OccupEye that monitor whether individuals are using their desks.

OccupEye’s website says it provides “automated workspace utilisation analysis” using sensors which “are triggered by both motion and heat”. This allows management access to a system that is “ultra-sensitive, yet ultra-reliable when it comes to tracking real-time 1:1 space utilisation”.

Walter’s Way: London’s Self-Built Street

I worked on this short documentary from The Architecture Foundation about a self-build housing estate in Lewisham, South-East London. Influenced by anarchist ideas, the street was designed by Walter Segal and built by its original residents.